BOILING SPRING LAKES—It might have been Halloween in Brunswick County, but it also was Senior Night for South Brunswick High School.

Thirty-nine seniors involved in football, band, cross country, dance and cheerleading were introduced and walked to the center of Jack Campbell Stadium. They were escorted by either parents, friends or coaches.

Coaches may not always say it, but some senior classes are more special than others.

For West Brunswick High School soccer coach Tripp Smith, the three seniors on his 2008 team provided a memorable moment Oct. 29 in the first round of the NCHSAA Class 3-A state playoffs.

The Trojans—winless in their conference—beat heavily favored C.B. Aycock—which entered the game 19-1 and ranked in the top 10 Class 3-A—2-1. And all three of West’s seniors had key roles in the victory.

In the NASCAR Silverado 350K Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, Chad McCumbee started 16th and finished 23rd. He earned $9,160. For the season, McCumbee has earned $317,520 in the Craftsman Truck Series.

McCumbee dropped to 11th in points, 56 behind Terry Cook.

The next race is Friday at Phoenix International Raceway.

McCumbee failed to qualify for the Sprint Cup race. It was a disappointment because he raced well last year at Texas in a truck race.

For the past few months, it’s been nothing but heated debates, passionate speeches, countless questions about each presidential candidate’s plan for healthcare and a desire to discuss all things McCain and Obama.

And all of this has happened inside a fifth-grade classroom.

My sister teaches these students in her Indiana school and said it’s surprising how interested her students are in this year’s General Election.

This is not unique to her classroom, as every fifth grader at Supply Elementary School has shown the same interest.

Shallotte police charged the following people and investigated the following incidents last week. All information is taken directly from police reports.

•Police charged Florisel O. Martinez, 30, of 7128 Highway 905, Conway, S.C., with assault on the elderly Nov. 2 at the Waffle House. When police arrived at the scene, two victims said the suspect pushed them to the ground. He was taken to the Brunswick County Detention Center on a $3,000 secured bond.

The annual Yellowfin/OIFC.com Fall Brawl King Classic was postponed from its original weekend dates of Oct. 24-26 to Oct. 31-Nov. 2. Mother Nature decided the original dates were not to her liking, but fortunately for the 178 boats that registered and competed on the postponed dates, the weather and fish cooperated to make for a great tournament.

It’s been a less-than-spectacular fall season so far for most inshore fishermen. After a good year overall, I had high hopes, but the fishing season has not really kicked into gear. The lack of a protracted spot run has been the biggest worry, although fishing for everything else has been unusually hit-and-miss for autumn in southern North Carolina.

The best fishing has probably been for red drum in the shallow areas or bluefish wherever you find them. The blues won’t last much longer as they aren’t a cold-weather fish, but the drum will stay around all year.

Each year I have the pleasure of interviewing all the ladies’ and men’s club champions prior to The Brunswick Beacon Tournament of Champions.

This is the sixth year the Beacon has sponsored this event, and it gets bigger and better each year.

It all began in 2002, when I first started writing this column. I thought it would be a hoot to interview all the champions and then feature them in Golf Gab, the men one week, the women the next. It was fun talking to the best of the best, the guys and gals who, for this one special tournament, came out on top.

On Oct. 23, Don Nelson eagled the 375-yard on the sixth hole at Black Bear. He used a driver and a 7-iron.

On Oct. 28, Carolina Shores resident Bob Kronberg recorded an eagle 3 on the par-5, 484-yard 11th hole at Leopard’s Chase Golf Club at Ocean Ridge Plantation. Kronberg used a driver and a 3-wood and chipped in using a lob wedge. His playing partners were J.C. Peloquin and Bob Mabe.

Dick Pearce eagled the par-5 ninth hole Oct. 30 at Farmstead Golf Course. He used a driver and a 7-iron and sank the putt.